16 March 2011
Young UK designers to win the chance to make a lasting impression on the world’s stage
By WorldSkills London 2011
WorldSkills London 2011 launches medal design competition in association with Bentley Motors Ltd.
Aspiring artists and designers aged 9-16 years are being invited to design the medals for this year’s WorldSkills Competition, to be hosted in London in October.
With an anticipated 150,000 visitors from across the globe, 1,000 Competitors from over 50 Member countries/regions and 46 individual skills competitions, WorldSkills London 2011 will be the UK’s biggest event this side of the Olympics. Held in a different country/region every two years, this is the first time the UK has hosted a WorldSkills Competition since 1989.
The two winners of the medal design competition, each with two family members or friends, will be invited to the headquarters of Bentley Motors in Crewe to see the medals in development and do a full tour of the factory including a special design exhibition. This will be followed by lunch with a Bentley designer as well as a chauffeured drive in a Bentley Mulsanne.Bentley Motors is the sponsor of the Manufacturing Team Challenge competition, and will also use the designs to make the official WorldSkills London 2011 medals, which the winners will help to present at a spectacular Closing Ceremony at The O2 Arena in London. Ten regional and national runners up will be showcased at WorldSkills London 2011 and online, as well as receiving scale models of the new Bentley Mulsanne.
‘We are looking for a design that works well for a medal and embodies the character and values of WorldSkills London 2011’ said Robin Page, a member of the judging panel and Head of Interior Design at Bentley Motors. ‘The Bentley engineers will produce medals of the highest quality, and we need a design that reflects this level of excellence – which is where the young designers come in.’
Taking place every two years in a different country/region, WorldSkills gathers the world’s most talented young people to battle it out in 46 different skill areas - from Cooking to Mobile Robotics - each competing for the Gold, Silver or Bronze and Medallions for Excellence in their specialist area.
The two winners will each be given a travel allowance for a party of up to four to attend the Closing Ceremony, which will see over 200 of the medals awarded in front of a 6000 strong audience.
‘By launching the first ever medal design competition for WorldSkills, we hope to tap into the creativity and imagination of young designers across Britain,’ said Aidan Jones of WorldSkills London 2011. ‘The concept of WorldSkills has always been not only to reach out to the 1,000 international Competitors who will participate in WorldSkills London 2011 this autumn, but to inspire a whole generation about the value of skills.’
Deadline for entries is Friday 6th May 2011. Visit www.worldskillslondon2011.com/medals to download the brief and apply.